DragonBall NE: New Earth
by Zenko Tomaki
Summary: Decades ago, bands of Saiya-jin were overlooked by Frieza's extermination forces. Now, a pair of these survivors have come to Earth with destruction on their minds. A new band of heroes must defend their world against this dire new threat.
1. Saga 1 Episode 1

-Copyright info-This Fan-Fic is based off Dragonball's fighting system. Dragonball is © Bird Studio/Shueisha. Dragonball and all related titles and characters are © Toriyama Akira. Zenko Tomaki is © me. Nikka is © my friend Al. Story © Me. Al is the Editor for me. Any questions or comments can be sent to either me or Al at ssj2gohan@hushmail.com (me), captainwhosit@aol.com (al) -End copyright info- -Author's Note- Just a fair warning, those who watch the English dub of Dragonball won't understand most of this. I based this fic off the Japanese version of the anime and manga. So, go find a site that talks about the Jap. version of the show. -End Author's Note-  
  
The figure of a man flew across the bright day sky, coming in low over a sparkling-clear lake; water spraying up all around him as he skimmed the surface. Quickly reaching the muddy shores of the lake, he sped onwards and entered a wood surrounding the lake. As he came into the tree line of these woods, the man leaped high and landed on the top branch of a large, hardy tree. The man put his hand to his forehead, and shielding his eyes from the light of the sun, scanning the area around him. Satisfied with what he saw, he took off again, crossing the forest by hopping and swinging from branch to branch. Soon exiting the forest, he bounded out of the treetops and landed softly on the grassy earth below him. Slowly standing up, he walked away from the woods, stopping as the land came to an end; the top of a cliff. He stood there on the edge, looking down and seeing a city nestled in the countryside below. Putting his hands on his hips, he smiled. "So.this is Earth? Well Earth, meet Zenko Tomaki!"  
  
The Adventures of Zenko and Nikka by: Shane Chapter 1: Everyone, Meet Zenko!  
  
Zenko stretched his arms and legs out a bit, running his fingers through his dark brown hair and giving his neck a good crack. "Damn! Those Saiya-jin pods are too cramped. You'd think after a hundred years they'd make them bigger." Zenko muttered with annoyance, "Ah well, I might as well vent some anger while I'm here." Standing up straight and tall, he started to float in the air, his feet hanging just inches above the rocky soil. With a sudden burst of speed, he took off in flight towards the city below.  
  
The city teemed with life. People hurried here and there; to get errands done, to get to their jobs, or just to meet their friends. Cars drove up and down the streets, the sounds of engines and horns mingling with the chatter of the street. Men in suits entered tall and shining office buildings to attend to the latest news on the stock market, while others were busy tending to their shops, or taking orders in a restaurant. It was not at all unlike your average, modern, big city with all the hustle and bustle of the crowds. One person stood out from the rest of the crowd, however. She wasn't doing anything particularly special, just walking down the sidewalk with a rather serious look on her face, a look like she had urgent business to attend to. Despite her somewhat unfriendly expression, she could be considered quite a beautiful woman. In her early 20's, Nikka was short, but had a slim, athletic figure. She wore black work-out shorts, and a white tank top. Her black hair spiked out at the sides and a large bang of hair hung down over her right eye, which was also a deep black. Guys stared at her as she walked by, but she just ignored them. What caught their attention may have been her more-than- noticeable bust, but perhaps in was the odder feature she had. A monkey- like tail swishing in the air behind her.  
  
Everything was quite normal in the city this day. Until all of a sudden, a nearby building exploded, showering the streets with hunks of concrete, twisted steel and a rain of glass shards. The people in the streets below began screaming in panic and ran in a frenzied mob away from the sudden destruction. Even as they ran, more explosions tore through the area, reducing modern marvels of architecture to mere piles of scrap and rubble. Nikka, who had been flung to the ground from the first explosion, angrily pushed herself back onto her feet and looked around with a snarl on her face. "What the hell.?!" she growled. Nikka's eyes widened as her senses detected a strange but strong power close by, and only had to look upward to see a man in his mid 20's floating above the center of the city, firing ki blasts in every direction. Nikka growled again and up flew towards him. "That bastard is going to pay for ruining my day...". As she approached, the man sensed her ki and looked at her.  
  
Zenko looked at the woman coming towards him. He blinked in surprise and then stopped his attacks. Turning towards her, he crossed his arms over his chest. Nikka stopped in front of him and scowled. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Who the hell do you think you are?" Zenko smiled and chuckled, "Oh. Allow me to introduce myself," he gave a short mock bow, "You can call me Zenko. And who are you?"  
  
"My name's Nikka. and I'm here to kick your ass!" "Well, I'm here to destroy this pathetic town, so don't get in my way." He pointed his hand, palm down, towards the ground and a blue ki sphere formed in his hand. He unleashed it upon a group of cars parked below. When the blast impacted, the cars exploded in a fiery mess. Zenko had a boyish look to him, his brown hair spiked up. His shirt and pants hung loose on him, so you couldn't get a clear idea on his build, something Nikka's clothes didn't do. Zenko had obviously noticed this. "Well, you seem like a powerful woman. Care to join me in the fun?" he asked with a smile.  
  
Nikka's eye twitched. "I'm not here to play, I'm here to stop you!" she said in a stern voice. Zenko shrugged, turned and fired a couple more blasts. "Come on. I know your Saiya-jin side wants to," he goaded. Nikka looked surprised. "You know I'm a Saiya-jin?" Zenko grinned, "The tail is a dead give-away." Zenko continued to fire blasts despite Nikka's warning. Losing her patience, she began to yell, her aura flaring. "Hmm? Someone seems to have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed," Zenko smirked. She growled and then rushed at him; swinging her fist around for a right hook. Zenko was caught off guard and she sent him flying into a nearby department store. The building collapsed on top of him, sending dust and debris up into the air.  
  
"Humph.he wasn't so tough. Just a smart-ass kid who was showing off," Nikka said, placing her hands on her hips again. She turned, about to fly off, but heard a loud crash behind her. No sooner had he turned when Zenko's knee was dug into her gut. She coughed and gasped for breath, trying to clutch at her stomach. Zenko had his arms crossed once more. "Don't try and stop me. No one on this planet can stop me! I'm the strongest being in the Galaxy!" Zenko said with confidence in his voice, "And now I'm going to show you why!" Zenko put his arms at his sides and began to gather his ki, his aura becoming visible. Zenko's hair began to flash with a golden tint and his aura' color changed as well. He let out a primeval yell, and his hair flashed again, now keeping its golden color. "I'm sure you are familiar with the Super Sayia-jin." Zenko said, looking at Nikka with an amused smirk on his face. Nikka looked at Zenko, his hair now standing up straighter and golden in color, his once black eyes were now green and his ki had increased to an absurd amount. "I hope you're ready to face one!" Zenko sneered. His sneer turned to a look of surprise as he realized that the woman was shaking with laughter, not terror.  
  
-End Chapter 1- 


	2. Saga 1 Episode 2

The Adventures of Zenko and Nikka! Chapter 2!  
  
Zenko scowled at Nikka as she laughed. "What's so funny?" he inquired sourly. Nikka shook her head with a laugh. "You're such a moron! You think you're the only one with the powers of the Super Saiya-jin?" she retorted. Zenko raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure I'm not the only Super Saiya-jin in the galaxy, if that is what you mean." A flash of annoyance crossed Nikka's face. "Ha! You don't get it, do you? You're a bigger moron than I thought!" she laughed triumphantly. With that said she began her transformation. "HAHHHHHHH!!!" Nikka yelled as her aura flared wildly and her hair was pushed upwards by her energy's sudden spike in power. Zenko watched in shock as her hair changed from black to gold and her eyes became a light green. After her screams died down and her aura faded to a flickering hum, Nikka looked Zenko in the eyes and smirked at the look she saw. "As you can see, I'm a Super Saiya-jin, too!" She let another smile play across her lips, "And besides, you don't even have a tail!" she waved her own tail about for a moment before wrapping it back around her waist, "And a Saiya- jin without a tail can hardly call himself a Saiya-jin!"  
  
It was Zenko's turn to chuckle. "Well well. that's quite an ignorant statement. I'll show you just how wrong you and that belief are." He set his gaze right into hers, "My guess is that you are inexperienced with this form. In fact, this could be the first time you've used it outside of training!" Zenko said, grinning at Nikka's expression of pure hatred. "Now, come." Zenko in a mocking voice, signaling with his hand for her to attack, "You aren't afraid of a 'tailless Saiya-jin,' are you?" Nikka growled at him and phased out. Zenko shifted his eyes back and forth, moving into a defensive stance, waiting for her to make her move. When Nikka reappeared beside him, she pulled her arm back to strike. Zenko quickly brought his forearm up and blocked her incoming attack, a shock wave of energy spreading out from the impact. She narrowed her eyes and zanzokened again. Zenko relaxed his stance and when Nikka reappeared to attack Zenko phased out himself, letting Nikka hit nothing but air.  
  
Zenko reappeared behind her and dug his elbow into her back. Nikka arched back as she flew forward through the air but stopped her careening and quickly turned around to face Zenko again. He was floating not too far away, arms crossed over his chest with a look of boredom on his face. "Are you sure you have used this form before? It doesn't seem like this could be much more than the second or third time since you first learned to transform on your own." Zenko said with boredom laced in his tone. Nikka clenched her fists and balled her body up, flaring her aura and staring at him with hate in her eyes. "What?! You bastard! I can take you out without having to break a sweat!" As she finished speaking she charged towards Zenko leaving a golden trail behind her. Within the blink of an eye she was in front of him and brought her right arm around, connecting with a vicious right hook sending Zenko tumbling backwards through the air. By the time he had corrected his spin and recovered his bearings Nikka was on him once again. Even as Nikka kept the punches coming at a blinding pace , Zenko was able to raise his defenses and block against each of her attacks.  
  
In the midst of her furious assault, Zenko phased out once more and almost instantly appeared beside Nikka. He spun around, swinging his leg upwards, bashing Nikka in the back of her head with the heel of his boot, his blow sending the opposing Saiya-jin rocketing downwards. Nikka impacted the street at an absurd velocity, sending the sound of crumbling pavement reverberating across the city and throwing up a thick cloud of dirt and dust. Zenko turned his head and spit into the crater. "What a pathetic fighter.! She should have figured out that I would attack her from the side. Bah! This was a waste of my-AH!" Zenko's speech was cut off by a large blast of blue ki engulfed him. When the light from the blast subsided Zenko had his arms crossed over his chest and face. Smoke rose off his shoulders. His pants and shirt had been torn and tattered from the energy attack; one of his pant legs was nearly gone, the other was ripped up and down, while his shirt was little more than a rag. He let out an angry growl and ripped the near-useless article of clothing off of his torso, giving Nikka her first good look at his body.  
  
His body was in a condition most would call perfect. His chest, abs, and arms would all have been the envy of many a professional body builder. However, scars were traced all across his body, marring his near-perfect physique. Some of them were years old, but Nikka could see that several of them were relatively new. Zenko frowned down at Nikka as he hovered high above her and the city. "That was of my only shirt... Oh well... I'm sure I can find a replacement for it somewhere on this planet once I've finished with you." That said, Zenko stretched his arms out forward and cupped the palms of his hands together. He brought his arms back, holding his hands at his side, palms pointed behind him. His golden aura glowed to life, and then suddenly began to blaze wildly. A small sphere of ki formed between his open hands. Nikka watched him gather the energy for his attack with increasing interest and apprehension.  
  
"What is he up too.?" Even as Nikka asked herself that, the sphere had grown to completely fill his hands. "Fragmentation Grenade Attack!!" Zenko roared as he launched the charged up blast. It sped towards Nikka, who set up a stance ready to counter the single blast but when it closed in Zenko spread his hands apart and the energy blast burst into scores of miniature blasts. The diminutive energy pellets peppered the area around Nikka, easily breaking through the defense she had set up to defeat a single attack. She was mercilessly pummeled by low powered attacks, accumulating a great deal of damage from the deadly shower, as the street and buildings nearby were chewed apart.  
  
Nikka was knocked to her knees, her skin scraped and her parts of her clothing torn. After rain of energy had ceased, she spent several moments breathing heavily, trying to regain her stamina. Returning to a full standing position, she locked her eyes on Zenko, reaching up with the back of her hand and wiping away a dribble of blood from the corner of her mouth. She shot upwards so quickly she kicked up a cloud of dust and small debris below her. When she became airborne, she found that Zenko was already flying right for her. She let out a battle cry and met his challenge. They erupted into an all out melee battle, launching vicious punches and kicks at the other, hardly taking the time to block an incoming attack, each Saiya-jin warrior focused all their effort to pound the other into submission before their foe was able to overcome them. The shock waves created by the sheer force of their blows blew out windows in the nearby buildings, sending a sparkling rain of glass into the desolated streets below.  
As the opposing warriors fought viciously with each other, a strange figure, hidden under the folds of a dark cloak, watched their struggle from the relative safety of a nearby rooftop.  
  
"It seems I have underestimated her... and the arrival of this new Saiya- jin could pose a threat to my designs. No matter. If all goes well, at least one of them shall die in the fight and then my plans may proceed without delay." With only the wind to hear his words, he lifted off from the roof and sped away towards the south, leaving the Saiya-jins and the scarred city behind.  
  
-end chapter 2 


	3. Saga 1 Episode 3

Zenko and Nikka! Ch.3  
  
"Soon, my plan will be set into motion," the cloaked figure said to himself as he turned and flew southward, leaving the two Saiya-jin behind as they battled on. Zenko and Nikka each fought fiercely, each wearing down the stamina of the other, each unwilling to yield. Zenko zanzokened and appeared behind Nikka firing two ki blasts. The fist struck home, but the second passed through the after image Nikka left behind as she phased out to dodge; Nikka reappeared close by and fired her own blast at Zenko, who simply batted it away. "You're losing power, this fight will be over in no time," Zenko sighed as he wiped a trickle a blood from his lip. He shifted back into an aggressive stance, hovering in the air a moment as he watched his opponents movements, waiting to find an opening and finding one, he raced forward.  
  
Zenko was almost within striking distance when his eyes widened with some unfathomable horrors and he came to a sudden halt, clutching his head as images flooded through his mind. Death! Hate! Pain! Suffering! "STOP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Zenko howled, shaking his head violently. The images kept coming, some of raging fires, some of twisted ruins and some of mangled corpses which he could still recognize. The images faded as quickly as they had appeared, but to Zenko it seemed like time had slowed to a crawl. Nikka watched Zenko in confusion as he yelled and writhed, face pale and sweating. He lifted his head towards her then looked back down. He shook his head a couple times more then slowly regained his posture.  
  
"What the hell was that about?" Nikka asked, somewhat perplexed, "If that was some attempt to get sympathy you're looking at the wrong girl!" Zenko looked at her again, and seemed to notice for the first time her large chest, but quickly shook off the warm thoughts that started to grow. "No. She is the enemy! I'm the perfect warrior! I have no one feelings for a pretty girl, and she certainly has none for me!"" Zenko raved in his mind, dismissing the brief thoughts he had of love. He returned to his ready stance and gestured for Nikka to attack.  
  
"You know...your damn attitude is pissing me off!!" she yelled, complying to Zenko's beckons and bolted forward taking a swing at his head. Zenko leaned his head to the side and thrust his knee upwards, slamming into Nikka's stomach then pulled back and dealt her a spinning kick to the same spot, throwing her backwards through the air. Nikka braked herself and winced as she grabbed her throbbing mid-section. Meanwhile, Zenko had zanzokened above her, hand-hammering her in the back and down into the ground. "This. is a total waste of my time! I could have destroyed this entire city and wrecked half of another by now!" Zenko growled with a twinge of hatred in his voice.  
  
The pile of rubble in the street exploded outwards and in a trail of dust Nikka was in front of Zenko, arm reeled back. "Go to Hell!" she screamed as she hammered Zenko in the face, sending the boastful Saiya-jin into the remains of an office building. Energy glowed in Nikka's hands as she began to throw a barrage of ki blasts at him as he lay in the ruins, stunned. Zenko yelled in pain as the ki blasts seared his skin, and the structure of the building collapsed, the whole building imploding with him inside. When Nikka finally stopped her enraged attack, she took slow, labored breaths. "Damn...bastard... I hope he's dead..." she said in between breaths. Her hopes were shattered when Zenko blasted out of the ruins in a violent display of energy. "I won't be killed by someone as weak as you!" He frowned at her.  
  
Nikka hissed at his comment and shot another pair of ki blasts at him, both of which Zenko easily smacked aside. "Come now, did you really think that would work?" he inquired. "No, but this will!" Nikka shouted in retort, stretching her arm up and out to the side, keeping her palm up, she formed her ki into a flat multi-sided blade; a shuriken. "Banzai blade!!" She screamed, snapping her arm forward to send the disc flying at Zenko. Allowing himself a slight grin, Zenko simply zanzokened just before the shuriken would have hit him and the blade sliced through the after image he left behind. Zenko reappeared left of where he had been and sighed. "Why must you constantly pester me with your pathetic attacks?" he asked Nikka in a scornful manner.  
  
Nikka just smiled as she made a few quick motions with her hands.  
"What's that?" Zenko asked, "Sign language?" Nikka only answered him by continuing to grin at him. "What's got you smiling? If you think that your death will be nice and quick, you're wrong!" Zenko declared, letting a small smile of his own cross his lips, "I'm going to enjoy hearing you scream and writhe in pain," he began to laugh, but suddenly stopped as he sensed something. He twisted to the side just in time to avoid being cut in half, however, the blade still cut a long gash into has back, drawing a trail of blood. "Fuck! It was a homing attack!?" Zenko screamed in anger, feeling blood dribble down his back. "That's right, moron!" Nikka laughed triumphantly, "Who's the weak one now? You should have known I wouldn't give you an easy fight! You're not worthy of the Saiya-jin name!" she sneered at him, crossing her arms over her chest haughtily.  
  
"Shut up!!" Zenko roared in rage, "I only let my guard down because you've been fighting so pathetically up until now, but now I see I've underestimated you." Zenko said, calm returning to his voice. Floating down to the cracked pavement, he stood and waited for Nikka to follow him, taking an aggressive stance when she landed. Nikka was the first to charge, meeting Zenko head-on they slammed their fists together and created a shock wave of energy. Trying to get a grapple on their opponent, they intertwined their fingers as they pushed against the other, trying to overpower them.  
  
Nikka broke the grapple, stepping back and winding up for a punch. Zenko caught her fist and used her own momentum against her, tossing her into the side of a building. He leapt after her, throwing a punch at her but hitting only concrete and her after image. Nikka popped up behind him and aimed a kick for his neck, but he blocked with his forearm and countered with his own punch. They began to chase each other around the ruined city, often hitting buildings rather than their intended target. One formerly grand skyscraper crumbled apart when a misdirected ki beam from Nikka tore its foundation apart. The falling building caused a kind of domino effect, knocking over several other buildings in the process, throwing up a thick cloud of dust and debris.  
  
Using their ki senses, the two Saiya-jin lobbed ki blasts back and forth to each other, causing even more collateral damage. Zenko jumped behind a shattered wall to avoid Nikka's onslaught and pressed his back to it, gathering energy in his fist. "This is it for you." he muttered. When the golden glow of his energy attack peaked, he stepped out from behind the wall and aimed his palm at Nikka. She spotted him from the corner of her eyes and turned, ready to open fire, when he released his energy in a wide beam of power. It struck Nikka and knocked her into the street, her body tearing through the asphalt as she was pushed back by the beam. Zenko let the attack taper off then charged after Nikka, catching up to her just as she began to stand up. He hit her again and again, knocking her back with each blow.  
  
At this point, Nikka's hair was beginning to lose its golden color, and her aura was shrinking. "Damn.! Am I really losing this battle!?" Nikka thought, panicked. Zenko continued to pummel her as she weakened, forcing Nikka to go completely on the defensive, crossing her arms in front of her body to try and protect her vital areas.  
  
Zenko broke through Nikka's meager defenses with just another blow, and set upon her with viciousness he had not yet displayed. He slammed his fists into her face, chest, stomach. Under the brutal assault of the Super Saiya-jin, Nikka couldn't even defend herself any longer, her energy and will were fading with each successive strike. She was completely at Zenko's mercy. Zenko round-housed Nikka through a window in a former apartment building. He walked towards her, where she was lying in the window frame, covered in glass shards and lacerated across her body; her clothes torn and hanging loosely on her, soaked red. She achingly tried to get herself up, cutting her hands on the pieces of glass when she used the frame for leverage. Her strength failed, and she began to fall out the window but Zenko reached forward and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her against the wall of the building, squeezing tightly.  
  
"I want to hear you scream... to hear you beg for your life." Zenko spoke with an emotionless calm, putting his face right up to hers. Nikka tried to curse him, but Zenko's grip tightened even more and all that came out of her mouth was a sharp yelp of pain. Zenko smiled, digging his fingernails into the soft skin of her neck, drawing blood. Nikka clawed desperately at his wrist, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I.I can't die.! I can't let myself. I haven't.I haven't yet." Broken thoughts passed through Nikka's mind as her lungs fought for oxygen. Zenko smiled sadistically, seeing the look of pain, fear and anguish on the young woman's face.  
  
Nikka's grip on his wrists weakened, and moments later her arms fell slack at her sides. Zenko pulled her away from the building and tossed her into the street, where she collapsed in a heap on the pavement. Nikka coughed violently and tried to pull in air, but Zenko kicked her hard in the ribs making her shout out in pain. He kicked her again in the abdomen, whereupon she coughed up blood and spittle, crying out again as Zenko continued to kick her. He flipped her broken body over with the toe of his boot, then put his foot upon her back and pressed her down into the pavement.  
  
"Beg! Beg for your life," Zenko said in his sadistically calm voice. All Nikka could do was whimper as he ground his heel into her back. The cuts and tears in her skin caused from the previous beatings began to bleed even more profusely and a small pool of blood began to form under her body. Zenko was about to stamp down on her again when he saw the bloody mess Nikka had been reduced to and his body froze. Images flashed through his mind, over and over again. "No... No!! Not again...!" he shouted into the empty air, clutching at his head once more. He staggered backwards until he ran into a half-broken wall and let himself slide down into a huddle.  
  
"Please God...no..." He whispered to no one as the image of his mother lying facedown in a pool of her own blood burned itself into his mind. "Stop...please stop! Stay out of my head...!!" Zenko screamed, then curled up and began to pale. His golden aura dispersed and his hair returned to brown as he completely powered down. He shook his head several times to try and rid himself of the horrible visions. Sere enough. the image passed on and Zenko was left sweating and breathing heavily. He got up and stood upon shaky legs. He let himself glance at where Nikka lay, nearly unmoving save for her labored breathes.  
  
Zenko growled and kicked Nikka hard in the side. She yelled out in surprise and acute pain from Zenko's sudden attack. "Damn! If you're not even able to fight back anymore than this is pointless!" He snarled. "Train! And next time we meet...put up a good fight so I can kill you." Zenko rose into the air giving Nikka one last disdainful look. "Farewell," was his parting words as he returned to where his space pod had landed, leaving the ruined city and the half-dead Saiya- jin woman behind him.  
  
-end chapter 3- 


	4. Saga 1 Episode 4

Zenko and Nikka ch.4  
  
Someone rapped at the door. "Come in," the voice of a woman called out. The door to the room slid open and a young boy, barely in his teens, walked in. "Mother?" Zenko asked looking around, not seeing her anywhere. A woman, with dark hair and in her late 30's, stood up behind the table she was working at. "Zenko, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here, son?" she asked. "Well, you see... There's this girl I like, she's in my training group..." Zenko started to say, but stopped as he flushed with embarrassment. Zenko's mother held up her hand.  
  
"Say no more! What's her name?" she asked with a smile. "Sakura..." Zenko began. "Hayata?" Mother finished with a bit of an inquisitive tone. Zenko slowly nodded and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.  
"Oh! Sakura's such a sweet girl! She often comes down to the lab to help out. In fact, there was one time-" Zenko's mother was cut off by the sound of a large explosion. The force caused the entire facility to shake and vibrate, throwing Zenko's mother off her feet but was quickly caught by Zenko. "Thank you dear," she breathed out as another explosion rocked the lab. "Stay here, son." She quickly ran to the back of the room. "No mother! I can help with this fight!" Zenko protested. "I said no!" Mother replied as she returned to the main room with her Saiya- jin battle armor on.  
  
"But mother, I can help this time!" Zenko argued. "No! You are not of age yet, Zenko. Now, you must hurry off to the shelter," she admonished, pushing him out the door. "No! I refuse!" Zenko shouted, chasing after his mother to the elevator leading to the surface. She stepped inside, turned and pushed Zenko out. "Mother! I want to help!" Zenko pleaded, but it was in vain. "I'm sorry dear, but there is no way I can let you fight. Maybe next time, okay?" she said gently as she pressed the button which activated the elevator. As the doors began closing she waved and said: "I love you".  
  
"I love you too..." Zenko half-whispered. After the doors had shut and the whine of the elevator's transit had faded, he turned and walked sullenly to the shelter.  
Three hours passed since start of the battle. It had all been quiet for the last hour. Finally fed up with waiting, Zenko stood up. "I'm going out there!" "Get back in your seat!" one of the guards shouted as Zenko strode towards the doors. "Out of my way," Zenko said in an unusually calm voice, but the guards held their posts in front of the doors even as Zenko walked right up to them. When it was evident that the guards would not budge, Zenko reached up and grabbed the closest one by the collar of his armor and flung him into the nearby wall. The remaining guard growled and pointed his energy rifle at Zenko, who looked at it, and then grabbed the barrel, crushing it in his hand and twisting it around. The guard was dumbfounded by this act of strength and defiance, and when he took another look at Zenko he saw a stare so cold and sinister that he instantly jumped to the side.  
  
Zenko almost smirked and pressed a button on the controls, making the door slide open. He stepped out then burst into a run down the hall. Several of the other young Saiya-jins hurried to follow him out.  
"Th-that kid. isn't normal!" the frightened guard stuttered to himself after Zenko had left. Looking at the rag-tag group who had trailed after him, Zenko chose the four strongest warriors out of the group: Sakura, Toshi, Hedeki and Fumiko. They entered the elevator and waited with anxiety as they slowly ascended to the surface of the planet. When the doors hissed open Sakura and Fumiko both gasped, Zenko and Hedeki turned white as a sheet and Toshi felt ill. What had been bodies of Saiya-jin fighters were strewn all across the charred and pitted landscape. Areas gleamed red as the spilt blood from the slain warriors soaked into the ground. Most of the people weren't even in one piece anymore; there were mislocated limbs, heads and organs scattered over the gruesome battlefield.  
  
There were other bodies dotting the landscape which lay in pools of dark liquid. Parts of black skinned creatures which could only have been what attacked the Saiya-jin settlement were also scattered about with the pieces of the Saiya-jin warriors. Then a terrible stench struck the five teenagers, something they quickly recognized as the powerful odor of charred skin, decayed flesh and warm blood. A new wave of nausea flooded over them.  
  
Still in a shock, Zenko slowly walked away from the lift and looked at his surroundings with a blank look. He could recognize many of the faces -as several faces now lacked their bodies -as teachers, friends and. parents. He stopped dead in his tracks. "Zenko? What is it?" Sakura asked as she came up behind him, slipping her hand into his. She followed his gaze and gasped at what she saw. "No...it can't be..." she stammered. On the ground lay Zenko's parents, hand in hand, in a pool of their own blood, eyes locked wide open, staring at each other.  
  
"Mother. Father." Zenko said into the emptiness around and within him. "Zenko...I'm so sorry..." Sakura said quietly, looking down.  
Zenko fell to his knees and grabbed his head clenching his eyes tightly shut. He shook his head several times, trying to make the images go away, then threw his head back and screamed. He screamed until he had no air left to scream with, until his throat was hoarse and raw. When he finally ran out of breathe he slammed both his fists into the ground, creating small pockmarks which grew each time he slammed his hands down.  
  
Attracted to the sudden noise of Zenko's outburst, a group of black, scaly creatures with large, fang-lined mouths, bulbous heads, sharp claws and lizard-like tails hopped into view. Zenko's four friends spotted them and got ready to fight, knowing that these were the creatures that had caused such destruction to their families and friends. There were twelve of the monsters in total, and Zenko looked at each one of them individually. To his dismay, he saw that none of the creatures looked as if they were the leader of the group. They were just soldiers that had survived the battle.  
  
Zenko clenched his fists tightly, so tight his hands started to bleed, and let a low, animalistic growl build up in his throat. He glared at the aliens with such a hatred that it frightened even his friends. His aura started to burn around his form as the physical embodiment of his anger and he shifted himself into a battle stance which allowed for a quick first- strike.  
  
Strike he did. Zenko blurred from sight, rushing forward bringing his fist around and connecting with a vicious right-hook to the closest alien, which was blown away by the force of the teenager's enraged attack and was sent skipping across the ground like a stone on a pond. Ignoring their comrade's plight, the remaining aliens all launched themselves at Zenko. Still blinded by rage and grief, he charged headlong into the oncoming group.  
  
Neither Hedeki, Sakura, Toshi nor Fumiko liked the odds of Zenko against eleven foes, intercepted the aggressors. Joining the vicious melee, each of the young warriors took on two opponents, leaving Zenko with four as the one he just hit returned to the battle. His battle aura continued to flare as his attack power grew. With insaiya-jin speed, Zenko blocked the attacks of all four aliens, turning the fight around by kneeing one in the midsection throwing it back into a half demolished wall as one came from behind him and grabbed him.  
  
Zenko yelled, leaned his head forward then snapped it back quickly, smashing the alien's face. It let go of him and Zenko flipped forward, catching the alien under its chin with his heel making the creature spin off backwards. Another alien tried to head-butt Zenko, but its face met Zenko's knee and it fell limply to the ground, unconscious. The last alien, seeing it allies fall so quickly got smart and took off. Zenko snarled when he saw it try to leave and he fired a pack of ki blast to track it and finish it off. The energy blasts quickly caught up to the creature and the series of explosions that followed was proof enough of the alien's demise. Zenko let out a long sigh, his aura shrunk and faded away as turned and saw that everyone else had won their fights and were alright.  
  
"We need to search for survivors," said Zenko plainly, walking over to them. "But, Zenko...We might be the only ones left, other than the ones who stayed in the complex..." Sakura wailed with tears in her eyes. She flung herself at Zenko and hugged him. "No! It's not right! Why would anyone do this to us?!" she sobbed. He hugged her tightly and said: "I don't know, but-" Zenko's words were cut off by a thunderous explosion, but there wasn't any fighting going on near him.  
  
Zenko awoke with a start and jumped up to the ready. The fire that had been blazing was now just smoldering cinders, the carcass of his dinner lay off to the side and his battle armor was next to his sleeping bag. He let out a mental sigh as he realized it had just been a dream, no, a nightmare, but one that has plagued him for years.  
  
Returning to the present, he glanced around the immediate area and saw rising smoke not far from where his pod had landed. Fearing the worst, he dashed over and stopped in surprise to find a second space pod in a crater next to the one his own pod lay in. It's door was open.  
  
Zenko instinctively got into a ready stance and sensed the area for any hostile power levels. He spotted a sudden movement to his right but he couldn't react before something tackled him and pinned him to the ground.  
  
"What the fuck!?" Zenko shouted in a fury, "Who the hell are-mmph!" Zenko tried to finish, but was cut off by the someone kissing him. He blinked when the person finally pulled back and saw her smile.  
  
"Long time no see, huh, Zenko?" the woman giggled in a sing-song voice. "S-sakura?" Zenko asked in disbelief. She smiled sweetly, bent down and kissed him again, her tail swishing behind her in happiness. "So you do remember me!" she said a smile in her voice. She stood up and offered her hand to Zenko to help him up. He took it gratefully and stood up, now looking down at the woman.  
  
Sakura was about 5'1". She had long black hair pulled back into a pony- tail, though several loose strands hung down in her face. Her eyes were a deep, warm blue. She wore Saiya-jin armor, but it was cracked and faded from apparently heavy use. Zenko also saw that she had a small scar on her cheek, proving that she had seen her share of combat since they last saw each other. "So, what are you doing here?" Zenko asked. Sakura put her finger on his chest and smiled at him again. "You silly. I've been trying to track you down for awhile now. I detected you a few days ago in space," she tapped the blue-lensed scouter device on her face, "and I just had to follow you. Before now I was always one step behind you. The only leads I had were the ruins you left behind on each planet you visited," she said with a grin.  
  
Zenko scratched his head and asked, "So, what? You wanna elope or something?" Sakura's tail stood up and frizzed as she flushed red with anger and hit him on the head. "Of course not!!" she yelled, crossing her arms. Zenko rubbed his head and said: "Well you sure haven't changed..." to which she replied: "Neither have you."  
  
Zenko walked close to Sakura and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he said, "I'm happy to see you again." Sakura smiled and hugged him back. "I'm happy I found you," she said while laying her head on his chest. They stayed like that for some time, until Zenko broke the hug and took a small step back. "Come on. I'll make us breakfast." He took her by the hand and lead her back to the camp.  
  
-end chapter 4- 


	5. Saga 1 Episode 5

DBNE Ch. 5  
  
The once bustling city nestled in the hills of the southern district now lay vacant and burning. Those lucky enough to escape Zenko's initial bombardment had fled to the countryside surrounding the city. Now all that was left were the crumbling shells of buildings, destroyed road ways and the bodies of those Zenko had slain. Had there still been people left, they would have heard the sound of the empty wind as it whistled through the broken structures, the sound occasionally punctuated by the tinkling sound of broken glass finally letting go and falling to the ground.  
The only movement that could be discerned, besides the wind, was a trail of dust rising along the trail that led from the forest to the city. The dust trailed behind a very fast moving object, and upon closer observation, the object was a man. Running inhumanly fast towards the smoldering city, the man tore through brush and foliage.  
"Damn!" he shouted, skidding to a halt as he entered the outskirts of the city, "Someone really did a number here."  
The man's name was Heinz Katsume. He had short blonde hair, forest green eyes, and a slightly rounded face. His body tone was testament to a life of hard physical exertion and exercise, and the brown gi he wore with the red sash tied around his waist told that he had trained in the martial arts.  
Heinz slowly walked through the streets, staring at the increasing destruction as he neared the center of town. In some of the fallen buildings he looked for signs of life, but he either found nothing -or if he did, it was a crushed body or parts of said body.  
"Damn." was all he could say. By the time he reached downtown he was certain that there was no one left alive in this forsaken place. "What the hell could have happened here?" he wondered aloud, "From the sound of it (and the look of it) someone must have dropped bombs here." Musing this, he turned the next corner, he spotted the bruised, beaten and bloody body of Nikka lying in the middle of the cracked pavement. Heinz was going to move on, assuming she was dead, but paused when he thought he heard a sound. He crept closer, and could soon distinguish the unmistakable, though ragged, sound of breathing.  
"Hey, are you alive?" he asked the body. Getting no response other than the continued sound of labored breathing, Heinz figured he should at least attempt to do something for the woman. Carefully picking her up in his arms, he took a look at her.  
"Whoever did this to such a pretty gal deserves a good punch in the face," he murmured. He felt something brush against his leg and spotted a monkey-like tail hanging down. "What the? Now that's odd," he said. Shrugging, he took off back towards the forest, hoping he wasn't leaving any other survivors behind, and, if he was, hoping they would be found.  
  
Heinz ran through the forest with speed that made him a blur, though he moved more carefully now that he carried his delicate cargo with him. It was about a half an hour run to the cabin which served as his home in the forest. Entering this humble abode, he softly set Nikka down on his bed in the far room. He waited for a few minutes, just to make sure she'd be ok and dismally noted how her wounds soaked the sheets with blood.  
"I could always buy a new set," he thought. He went into the kitchen area, grabbed a pair of buckets, and jogged out back to the river, which flowed nearby. Heinz filled both pails with the cool, clean water and hurried back inside his cabin. He grabbed some cloths from a shelf, returned to Nikka's bedside and began to carefully clean her wounds with the water and rags. The next thing to do was to patch her up, and so he checked in his cupboards and found a roll of bandages (which he sometimes used himself when he got too banged up during training).  
Heinz did his best to bandage Nikka, though he had to lift her up to wrap the bandages around her waist and chest. He also bandaged her forehead, arms and one of her thighs that had been badly cut. When he finished, his roll of bandages was depleted and Nikka looked something like a mummy. Heinz looked at her for awhile, and then realized her sheets were still bloody from when he first set her down. Not wanting to leave her on bloody sheets, he carefully lifter her up, took the sheets off as best he could, and set her back down. He tossed the dirty sheets in a trash can as he walked out of the room to find a new set. Lacking actual sheets, Heinz returned with a white table cloth that he figured would make do. He draped the cloth across the bed and wrapped Nikka in the excess. It was an odd looking setup, but it would do. Cleaning up the rest of his medical supplies, and feeling thankful that he had learned some basic first aid during the course of his training, Heinz sat down at the kitchen table to rest.  
  
Night had fallen by the time Heinz heard Nikka stir in bed. He crept quietly to the door, hoping he wouldn't startle the woman. In the dim moonlight coming in from the window, he could see her outline sitting up in bed, looking around in a daze. He thought he saw her spot him, and he fidgeted a bit.  
"Hey." Nikka said weakly, "Who're you?"  
"Oh, you're awake," Heinz said as he stepped into the room, "My name's Heinz Katsume. I found you in Commute City this afternoon and you were hurt pretty bad." He paused, "Which I guess you'd know about." Nikka stared blankly for a moment before remembering.  
"Zenko!" she spat and quickly leapt out of bed. Heinz stepped in front of the door trying to block her way.  
"Hey, hold on!" he shouted, "You're still injured, you can't go anywhere!" After a minute of struggling, Nikka finally gave in, feeling too weak to really force her way out. She lay down again with a bitter expression and stared at the ceiling.  
"So," Heinz said, dragging a chair into the room and sitting down backwards, crossing his arms on the backrest, "I didn't catch your name."  
"Nikka," she said.  
"Oh."  
Heinz sat in silence. About fifteen minutes passed before Nikka looked over at Heinz irritably. "Are you going to sit there all night, or do you have anything for me to eat?"  
"Oh. Right, food. I guess you'd be hungry," Heinz sputtered. He checked his cabinets. He didn't have anything besides dried, preserved or canned foods. Out in the woods there weren't any electric lines so he couldn't store any thing that needed refrigeration or preparation in a microwave. He started to look around franticly, having no idea what this woman would eat, so he just grabbed a bag of beef jerky and took it to her.  
"This is pretty much all I got. Hope it's alright with you," he said, tossing her the bag. Nikka took a look, sniffed the contents, and then began to savagely consume the jerky. Heinz watched with wide eyes. This woman ate with a ferocity like no other he had ever seen. He shrugged, figuring it was just because she hadn't eaten for awhile. Meanwhile, Nikka had finished off the dried beef and tossed the bag off to the side and lay back in bed to rest again.  
"I should be ready to leave in a few days. I'll go then," she said.  
"Are you sure that's enough time? It looks like you could be in bed for weeks."  
"I'll be fine!" she growled. She turned her back to Heinz, facing the wall. "I'm going to sleep now. You don't have to hover, either." He got the drift, and left the room. Other than his sister's bed (which he really didn't want to sleep in) he rummaged around his home's closets and found the spare camping mattress and set it up on the floor in the main room. As he lay down and began to drift off to sleep, he couldn't help wonder who this strange woman was, where she came from, how she could eat so voraciously and why did she have a tail?  
  
-End chapter 5- 


	6. Saga 1 Episode 6

DBNE: New Earth Chapter 6  
  
Zenko sat on a log at the campsite with his face in his hands. 'Does she ever shut up?' Zenko asked himself. Sakura was behind him, her hands on his shoulders and was shaking him back and forth while she pleaded, "I-wanna-go-shopping! I-wanna-go-shopping! I-wanna-go..."   
  
Zenko sprang up, throwing Sakura back and catching her by surprise. "Something wrong, Zenko?" she asked with a worried look. Zenko turned, a heavily exasperated look on his face and replied, "Fine, we'll go...shopping..." He said the last word with a note of disgust. Sakura beamed, however, and threw her arms around him while yelling "Oh, thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!" Zenko hugged her back while trying not to choke from her grip and set her back on the ground. Sakura smiled again then took a few steps towards the woods.  
  
"But before we go out I'm going to wash up," Sakura told Zenko, "I saw a hot spring in the forest and I'm dying to use it. No peeking, got it?" she said sternly.   
  
"Of course I got it," Zenko reassured her.  
  
"Good," she replied, nodding, "I'll be ready in, oh, about twenty minutes. See ya'," she called back as she left into the woods. Three minutes ticked by and Zenko quickly grew bored just sitting on a log waiting for Sakura to get back. Then he got an idea.  
  
"Aw, what she doesn't know won't hurt, right?" Zenko said to himself as he ran into the woods, leaping from tree branch to tree branch. It didn't take him too long to find Sakura, due to his Saiya-jin instincts for tracking and because he could hear her as she sighed contently, soaking in the warm waters of the spring.   
  
"Ah," Sakura cooed, "This is wonderful!" She slid further down into the water until she was submerged up to her nose. Meanwhile, Zenko was watching Sakura bathe from the branch of one of the trees that stood by the edge of the pool. He felt a bit ashamed for being here, but it was certainly far better than sitting around all alone.   
  
As Zenko continued to watch, he began to feel a tickle in his nose. He sniffed, trying to ignore it, but it kept pestering him and was getting worse. Zenko made an attempt to alleviate the tickle by rubbing his nose, but it persisted. Finally, he couldn't hold it back any longer and let loose with a sneeze so powerful that the sound reverberated around the forest clearing and blew him clear out of the tree.   
  
Sakura sprang up from the water to see what had caused the racket and spotted Zenko as he sat up rubbing his head.   
  
"KYAAAAAAAAA!" Sakura screamed when she saw him. She raised her hands at the blunderer and attacked with burst of ki energy. Zenko was too absorbed with the good view of her chest to notice the incoming blast, and stood motionless until it impacted. The attack sent him flying backwards, smashing him into the tree he had fallen out of, whereupon he promptly passed out.   
  
"Oh my gosh! Zenko?!" Sakura yelled, putting a hand over her mouth. She quickly grabbed her shirt (it was actually Zenko's, she had stolen it) and tugged it on. Then she ran over and knelt beside Zenko.   
  
"Zenko? Zenko, can you hear me?" Sakura asked desperately, shaking him violently. Zenko's eyes blinked open and he sat up suddenly.   
  
"Oh, Zenko, you're alright!" Sakura said with a hug and a smile, "I thought I'd killed you!" Zenko started to laugh and say something, but Sakura suddenly hit him over the head. "Why are you still alive?" she snarled. Zenko grabbed his head and tried to apologize. She huffed and got up.  
  
"Well, I'm going to go change, so don't even think about peeking this time, or I'll shoot to kill!" she shrieked, the pitch of her voice disturbing the forest wild life and sending flocks of birds into the air. Zenko nodded numbly and watched her walk back to the spring to pick up her clothes, sort of leaning his head to try and get a better look at her. Once she had gone further into the forest, Zenko got up and walked back to campsite. Sakura came a few minutes behind him, dressed, dry and ready to go.   
  
"So, where do you find a place to shop on this planet?" she asked.   
  
"I don't know," Zenko said, "Probably where there's people."  
  
"Okay!" she replied and hovered in the air, "Let's go already!" She placed her scouter to her eye and hit the scan button. Numbers flashed by for a few seconds before highlighting an area off in the distance. "I think there's some humans this way. Geez, they sure are weak things." Zenko just shrugged, and followed her to the town called Sanyo City.   
  
It didn't take the two Saiya-jins long to figure out that the enormous building with a parking lot miles wide was the main shopping center of the city. Zenko and Sakura landed in front of the main doors amid much gaping and pointing from the other shoppers. Someone had left their car idled in front of the mall doors.  
  
"How inconsiderate," Zenko said. He fired a ki blast that blew the car off to the side. "Better." As they got to the doors, Zenko could feel the eyes of all the people on him, so he spun around and shouted, "Stop staring!" Everyone quickly ran.  
  
"Zenko, do you have to be so loud?" Sakura asked him. He sighed in reply and followed her into the mall. Sakura didn't seem interested in too much, until they came to the clothing stores. She shrieked with joy, and rushed to the display windows, pressing her palms and face against the glass.  
  
"Zenkoooo! I want those!" she cried gleefully.  
  
"Then take them…" he groaned. Sakura giggled, and dashed into the department store. Zenko let out another long sigh and sat down on one of the benches that dotted the interior of the mall and glared at any human that dared stop to stare.   
  
Inside the store, Sakura was having more fun than a kid in a candy store. She had only spent a day on Earth and didn't think very highly of the locals, but she soon decided that despite their shortcomings in the area of strength, they had good taste in clothing. She selected a number of things, some with frills, some with flowers and others with swirls of pretty colors. Sakura placed all the clothes in one of the bags she had grabbed at the front of the store and walked out the door. The clerk working at the desk saw her leave and ran after her.  
  
"Hey! You can't just take all that! You have to pay!" the clerk shouted. Sakura spun around, a horrible glint in her deep blue eyes. She snarled back at the man.  
  
"Pay? What's this about paying?"  
  
"W-well…" the clerk said, beginning to tremble, "You know… with m-money!"  
  
"Feh! Don't bother me, I don't need to pay," she growled. She raised her palm and it started glowing with pale light. A moment later a beam of ki burst forth from her open hand and ignited the entire store into flames, all the dresses catching flame and turning into charred rags and the clerk went up with it all. Sakura "hmph'd" one more time then walked over to Zenko. Her expression had quickly changed from fierce anger to sugar-sweetness. "I'm ready to go to the next store!"  
  
Nikka was still resting in Heinz's forest cabin when she felt a surge of ki in the distance. She bolted up in bed and growled in the back of her throat.  
  
"Is that… Zenko?" she hissed. Nikka leapt out of bed and charged out of the house. Heinz, who was outside cooking a deer he had killed, heard Nikka storm out.  
  
"Whoa! Where are you going in such a hurry? Shouldn't you still be resting?"  
  
Nikka spun around and growled, "It's Zenko! I felt it! I'm gonna get that bastard!" Her tail thrashed behind her, a manifestation of her agitation. She started to run off again, but Heinz caught her by the arm.  
  
"Wait a sec! You're still recovering, you can't-"  
  
"I'm fine!" Nikka shouted in Heinz's face, snatching her arm back, "Saiya-jin aren't as fragile as you humans!"  
  
Heinz paused and looked at her. "Saiya-jin…" When he looked back up, Nikka was already taking off again. He let out a shallow sigh, and chased after her. Though he did not know the technique for flight, he was very fast.  
  
"Hey!" Heinz shouted, calling out to Nikka, who zoomed above the treetops. "If you're heading out, I think I'll come with you!" Nikka looked down at Heinz as he ran through the forest below.  
  
"You idiot! You think a weakling like you can take on Zenko?"  
  
"Well, I might as well give it a shot. It's my planet, ain't it?" Heinz added with a wry smile. Nikka glared, but then her expression softened somewhat.  
  
"At least he's no coward," she thought. Nikka dove past the trees and skimmed the ground alongside Heinz, both of them heading to the distant Sanyo City.  
  
Most of the shoppers had fled the mall. Only a few clerks remained in their stores, fearing that if they ran the deranged woman would shoot them down for abandoning their posts. Half a dozen stores were in flames. Sakura had been displeased with the service she received. In another store, she hadn't like the dressing rooms.  
  
Meanwhile, Zenko remained sitting stoically in the bench. He had become a shopping bag receptacle, Sakura dropped off her numerous bags with him on each return trip, and so he now guarded a towering stack of shopping backs containing various products ranging from clothing to bakery sweets. Sakura had caught him munching on some of the donuts she had "bought" and helped Zenko decide that it was better to leave her things alone. The welt on his cheek was just beginning to fade.  
  
"Geez," Zenko muttered grumpily, "What's so great about this mall? I never shoulda let Sakura talk me into taking her here…" Something began to beep rapidly beside him. Zenko fumbled through a few bags before finding the scouter. He placed it up to his eye and found that it was indicating that a notable power was approaching. He rose from the bench, dislodging several shopping bags and sending their contents tumbling to the floor, and stood just in time to see the arrival anticipated warrior.  
  
He appeared to be in his teenage years, wearing an orange fighting gi. His black hair stood out in messy spikes, his dark eyes had a fierce look underneath his brows. He didn't seem pleased to find Zenko her amidst the semi-destroyed mall.  
  
"And… who are you?" Zenko asked, feeling a little bit better since it looked like he might get a fight after all.  
  
"I'm Goku Jr., and I'm here to stop you!" the boy replied.  
  
-End chapter- 


	7. Saga 1 Episode 7

DBNE: New Earth; Chapter 7  
  
"I'm Goku Jr., and I'm here to stop you!"  
"Oh. Really now?" Zenko snickered, rising off the cluttered bench and striding towards the brave youth, "Well, I'm afraid you have no idea what you're up agai-"  
"What?!" a woman screeched. Sakura was rushing through the shopping center carrying more bags. "Did someone say they were going to stop my shopping spree?!"  
"Well, um." Zenko stuttered.  
"No one, no one gets between me and my shopping!" she hollered again, coming up alongside Zenko, "Is that what you're trying to do, punk?" Goku glared at her.  
"I'm here to stop you from hurting people!" he snapped, "So leave now, or I'll have to force you out."  
Sakura giggled, partially covering her mouth with her hand, "Oh. that's rich! Listen, brat, it's you who should leave." She cracked her knuckles, "Of course, beating you to a wet pulp would be fun, too."  
"But," Zenko interjected, "I wanted to-"  
"Hush!" Sakura snapped, "He's interfering with my fun, so I take care of him."  
Zenko grumbled, but stepped back. Sakura stepped forward, arms out slightly, her aura hissing faintly around her.  
"Mind if we play a bit further away, kid?" Sakura asked, "I don't want all my nice merchandise to be ruined."  
"Where do you plan on going?" Goku asked, though a bit warily.  
"How about right. over. there!" Sakura cackled, suddenly charging Goku and sending him flying with a swipe of her hand. The boy flipped over and sprang back on his hands, quickly regaining his balance as the Saiya- jin woman charged towards him again, lashing out with an open-palmed strike. Goku sidestepped the attack and struck back with an uppercut, though the blow only glanced Sakura; her Saiya-jin armor took the brunt of the blow. Goku followed her, attacking with a left, two quick right jabs and a strong left hook. Sakura blocked with crossed arms, counter attacking with a spinning roundhouse, catching Goku in the face.  
The young warrior was sent crashing through a display window for a kitchenware store. Pots clattered and clanged as Goku fell across shelves of appliances. The store remained motionless as the dust settled and the last pot lid rattled against the tile floor, and then Goku emerged from the pile, groaning.  
"Ow! She packs a mean punch." he moaned, rubbing his jaw. He shoved aside the junk lying atop him, tossed off the pan that had landed on his head, and jumped out the store window back into the mall's concourse. "Hey! I'm still here!" Goku shouted.  
"Welcome back!" Sakura crowed, coming down from above, connecting her elbow to Goku's skull with an echoing crack. Goku stumbled forward, then spun around, catching Sakura in her side with a kick forcing her back as well.  
"What?!" Sakura gasped, "That blow shoulda killed you!"  
"Hard heads run in the family," Goku said with a shrug. He dodged around the blows Sakura threw at him, then grasped her wrist and flung her over his back. Sakura flipped in the air and landed on her feet.  
"Don't suppose you need any help?" Zenko asked from his station by the mall benches; he sounded a bit hopeful.  
"Don't count on it," Sakura replied with a bit of venom. Zenko sighed.  
  
Meanwhile, Heinz and Nikka continued their approach to Sanyo city where Nikka was sure Zenko was on another destruction spree. Heinz sprinted along while Nikka flew close by.  
"Damn it, we'd be going a lot faster if you could fly, too," Nikka growled, fed up with their relatively slow progress.  
"Well." Heinz said, trying to catch his breath, "Maybe you should teach me how sometime. instead of complaining."  
"Shut up and keep running."  
  
Sakura and Goku threw themselves at each other again, the female warrior fighting with a fierce agitation; it annoyed her that it was taking so much effort to bring down her opponent. However, Goku was on the defense, dodging and blocking the kicks and punches Sakura struck with. Sakura reared back and struck Goku's crossed arms with a powerful kick, which sent the boy skidding backwards several meters. She stepped back and took several quick breaths.  
"You're not like the other humans on this planet," Sakura growled, "How is it you're so strong?"  
"Well," Goku replied, lowering his arms and settling into a combat- ready position, "My great-great-grandfather was a Saiya-jin. I've been told he was the strongest fighter in the Universe."  
Sakura's eyebrows rose in surprise, "You have a Saiya-jin ancestor? Heh, no wonder you're not a complete weakling." She unwound her tail and swept it back and forth a few times. "But a you're no match for a real Saiya-jin!" Sakura sprang forward, striking with an upward scissors kick. Goku barely dodged by taking a quick back step; he retaliated with a quick jab that caught Sakura in the stomach. She hunched over, letting out a gasp of air. Goku took advantage of her momentary vulnerability by grabbing her arm and flinging her into one of the trees that had been planted along the mall's main path. The trunk of the tree broke in half, Sakura's momentum carrying her through and into the far wall.  
Sakura blasted out of the wall with a sudden, violent burst of energy. She hovered towards Goku, breathing a bit harshly. She reached up with her hand and wiped away the trickled of blood that was coming out of her mouth.  
"Brat. You're so dead now," she snarled. Her aura became visible again, hissing and burning around her body, the force of its energy pushing her hair upwards. Goku watched with anticipation, slinking backwards a bit and preparing himself for another onslaught. Sakura snickered, her blue eyes flashing green. Opening her mouth, she let out an animalistic howl, her energy levels rising even further as her aura took on a golden shine. Her energy spiked again; her hair now changed to a golden blonde, sticking straight up into the air except for what was still tied into a ponytail. It spiked, but did not rise up. Sakura's bellows faded, her expression regained one with semblance of sanity. She chuckled softly, and sneered at her opponent.  
"Feel the true power of the Saiya-jin race: the ultimate warrior!" she cackled. Goku grimaced, a bead of sweat running down his cheek. Sakura noticed his apparent fright -the way an animal senses fear-and a predatory smile spread over her lips. "Scared? You should be."  
"I'm not scared," Goku replied, though a slight tremble in his voice betrayed his true feelings, "I'm excited. I didn't know you'd be such a challenge."  
"What?" Sakura hissed, very annoyed at the young boy's attitude, "You think you have a chance against me? Ha! Obviously you don't even know enough about your Saiya-jin heritage to realize what you're up against!"  
"No. I know what you are." Goku replied. His own aura began to hum into existence around him. He let out a battle cry, and his hair suddenly spiked upwards. His energy grew and expanded, filling the shopping center with a bright light. When it faded, he too stood as a Super Saiya-jin!  
"You have to be joking!" Sakura screamed, "You're. you're not even a half-breed! How can you have enough Saiya-jin blood to transform!?"  
"I don't know. I don't care," Goku said, now being his turn to sneer, "All that matters is that I'm going to kick your ass now."  
Zenko was equally surprised by Goku's sudden transformation. He had assumed, like Sakura, that the boy was above average in strength at best. He picked up his scouted and set it in place on his face. He tapped the activation button and the scouter started to beep as it scanned the two opposing warriors. Over Goku, it flashed "5,500,000." For Sakura it read "5,800,000."  
"Good," Zenko said, "Sakura still has the advantage in strength." He frowned, though. "But this kid's a lot stronger than I would have guessed. If he gives her too much trouble." he grinned, "I'll take care of him."  
  
Nikka felt a mighty surge of power to the northeast, the direction they where heading. She half-closed her eyes to concentrate; she was still somewhat of a novice at sensing ki. A moment later her eyes opened wide.  
"What is it?" Heinz asked. Nikka had unknowingly let out a gasp, which drew his attention.  
"Huh? Oh, uh. nothing. It's just. I sensed two big powers, but neither of them are Zenko."  
"Weird," Heinz muttered. A look of worry crossed his face, and he voiced his new concern. "Are they. stronger than Zenko?"  
Nikka shook her head, "No. Neither of them comes close, luckily. Though if they're on his side." She didn't have to finish her thought. Heinz knew that the advantage of numbers could turn the tide of a battle.  
"Keep your power suppressed," Nikka murmured, "We're getting close."  
  
Sakura pelted Goku through the mall, breaking windows and merchandise. Goku moved fast to try and avoid the flurry of blows that was raining down upon him, but without a great deal of luck. As he dodged back from another one of Sakura's attacks he saw an opening, and kicked straight upward, catching her on the bottom of the chin, throwing her head back and knocking her into a small baked goods store. Goku hovered nearby and took a breath.  
"This gal is good, definitely. And then there's still the guy. I'd better finish this fight now!"  
Cupping his hands near his side, Goku began to gather energy into his palms. "Ka. me. ha. me." he spotted movement as Sakura dragged herself out of the ruins of the bakery's kitchen, "Ha!" The bright blue energy wave raced towards the Saiya-jin woman, who looked up in surprise. The explosive force of the Kamehameha destroyed the entire side of the mall, blowing dust and debris for blocks in a gritty rain. Goku continued to hover in place, golden aura flashing as he tried to see past the thick cloud of dust that was slowly settling. His face registered mild shock when he saw his opponent still standing.  
Sakura had dodged the energy wave at the last moment, only to be hit by the shockwave and tossed about. Her already tattered armor was nearly torn off, though her battle vest still held on. She stood up a bit shakily; her whole body had been rattled from the explosion. Dabbing at a little blood that ebbed from a cut on her lip, she grinned at Goku.  
"Not good enough, punk!" she laughed. Sakura leapt into the air, leaving a trail of golden light behind her. Raising her fist high, she slammed down on Goku's face, sending him crashing through the mall's tile floor. Raising her hand up again, Sakura gathered ki into her palm. "Die, you worm!" she shouted, and let loose with a storm of energy blasts the turned the ground into pebbles and again threw a thick cloud over the battlefield.  
"Take it easy, Sakura!" Zenko joked, "We might wanna ask the kid if there's any other fighters on this mud ball who could give us a decent fight!"  
"Feh!" Sakura spat, "If there's any tough ones, they'll come out on their own." As if on cue, Goku burst from the ground, dirtied and bloodied, and bashed Sakura across the head and sent her tumbling out of the air.  
"Little bugger won't die." Zenko chuckled to himself. Meanwhile, Sakura rebounded off the floor and let loose another energy blast at her foe, who dodged it, and the blast tore another hole in the shopping mall. Goku came at her with an uppercut, but she moved backwards and counterattacked with a knee to the groin, which Goku managed to block with his own knee. Sakura and Goku separated for a moment, then flew at each other again, fists slamming together, their golden energies swirling and sending out shockwaves which decimated their surroundings, causing the walls of the mall to crumble around them.  
Sakura kicked Goku in the gut and pushed off from him, hovering away. She charged energy in her fingertip, and pointed at Goku.  
"Needle-Bang Ray!" A small beam of energy lanced out and struck Goku in his left shin, burning through his clothing and charring the skin underneath.  
"Aggh!" Goku shouted out. He clutched at his leg for a moment, then Sakura fired again, hitting his right shoulder.  
"Ha ha ha," she laughed, "Hurts, don't it? I can concentrate a lot of explosive energy on one little point," she sneered, "Like this!" Her next shot hit Goku in his right leg, causing another spasm of pain to shoot through him. Sakura's predatory grin spread across her features again, and she aimed her last attack; the final blow.  
Zenko's scouter started to beep rapidly.  
"What the.?"  
Something blew past Sakura, its bright gold aura shoving her aside.  
"Zenko~!" Nikka shouted as her fist connected with him. 


End file.
